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All You Ever Wanted to Learn About African Art Part II. Exploration, Colonization, and Independence By: Liz, Jack, and Brandon. Wood and Child in Tow By: Cyprian Ogambi (modern day, Kenya). A Little Review. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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All You Ever Wanted to Learn About African Art
Part IIExploration, Colonization, and IndependenceBy: Liz, Jack, and Brandon
Wood and Child in TowBy: Cyprian Ogambi (modern day, Kenya)
A Little Review
Nok head, terra cotta, Nigeria, 5th century BCE
King, from Ife, Nigeria, 11th-12th century, zinc-brass alloy
Saltcellar by: Master of the Symbolic Execution, Sapi-Portugese, from Sierra Leone, 15-16th century
European Contact First: Portugal, late
15th Century Early Contact Period:
15th-19th century Slave Trade Islam vs. Christianity Imperialism/
Colonialism- Africa divided into pie slices
Context and Meaning Many African pieces
taken out of context Important to remember
original function and location of piece
Where you view a piece of African art, from what angle, and who you are plays a huge role in interpretation (similar to modern art)
Functionality depends on place
Example of Functionality and Importance of Context
• Samburu Kenya• Costumes, hairstyles, jewelry- gender specific, age
specific, status specific• Each part of their outfit is symbolic of their background
Conventionalization and Gender Roles
Each group had strict artistic conventions
Men are ironsmiths, architects, carver; Women are wall and body painters, potters, sculptors
Some art is collaborative (ex) Akan peoples of
Ghana
Ceramic Ancestral Portrait, created by a woman
Two shrine figures (akua mma), Asante, Ghana, Wood
Themes Veneration of Ancestors Power of Kings “Aesthetic Overload” Spirituality of Art Education of Youth Aiding the Community Continuity of Life
Veneration of Ancestors Royal Ancestor Altar,
Benin, Nigeria Finest materials used King’s head-
symbolic Hierarchal
Positioning
Primordial Dogon Ancestors Dogon- Mali Man and Woman on
common base Depiction of Gender
roles Simplified body structure Fertility gestures Symbolic and spiritual
function
Igbo Houses for the Gods Nature Gods demanded
houses to be made Mbari house- made of
Adobe, spiritual purpose Thunder god Amadioha and
his wife Fusion of modernity and
tradition Mbari houses return to the
earth
Male Figures (ndop) Representing King Kot
a-Ntshey Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Artistic tradition Figures placed next to
an ailing king near death to absorb life essence
Kept in wives’ quarters
Nail Figure Kongo Embodied specific spirits to
heal or harm Power shown in symbolic
cowrie shell Villagers held figures in awe Purpose: evoke ancestors
for guidance and help
Masquerades Crucial to African society Masks held power and societal
status Usually used for education and
entertainment Masquerades- strongly ritualized
dramas Men control masks in most
societies Administrated justice in some
societies
Satimbe Mask Dogon, Mali Creation story
illustrated Used every 3-6 years Dama ceremony-
commemorate those who had died since the last Dama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-a22Lk5HDo
Female headdress (D’amba dance) and Male Mask Baga Sitemu, Guinea D’amba mask shows
ideal Baga woman (bears many healthy children)
Male Banda mask embodies power symbols representative of males
Female Mask Mende, Sierra Leone Ideal feminine
characteristics Unusual preference for
female maskers in this society
Maskers are teachers, mentors, initiators
Three horned bush-spirit mask (Bo nun amuin) Baule, Cote d’Ivoire Animal imagery Spiritual power Male-oriented bush
life Costume usually
made of raffia- a bush material (wild over civilized)
African Art Today Colonial
governments caused erosion of leadership arts in African culture
Increased secularization
Traditional values still present, not as relevant in modern society
Art reflects societal changes
Coffin in shape of hen with chicks By: Kane Kwei Ghana, 1989 Functionality Wooden Caskets for the
Ga people Coffin is for a senior
woman with a large family Decorated other objects
Ta Tele By: Trigo Piula Democratic Republic of the Congo 1988 International style Fuses Western and Congolese
cultures Traditional Kongo power figure (nkisi
nduda) stands in front Television has deadened
contemporary Congolese peoples’ minds with the need for modern commodities
African Art Transforms Europe
Henri Matisse’s The Young Sailor1906
Runner Mask from The Dan(Ivory Coast)
African Art Transforms Europe
Pablo Picasso’s Pregnant Woman1950
Ancestral figure, Kongo, nineteenth and twentieth centuries
African Art Transforms Modern Artists
Romare Bearden’s The Woodshed1963
Reliquary Guardian Figure (Mbulu-Ngulu),Kota, from Gabon, 19-20th century
Vocabulary Masquerade- A ritualized drama performed by
several masked dancers, embodying ancestors or nature spirits
Akua ba- small wooden fertility figures carved by Asante men in Ghana
Ndop- A male figure commemorating a living or dead King, carved by the Kuba people of the Congo
Genetrix- a legendary founding Clan mother Bo nun Amuin- Composite imagery animal masks
created by the Baule people of the Cote D’Ivoire. Represents the spirit power of the bush